


Not Alone

by callasyndra



Series: Another Time, Another Place [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)
Genre: Incest, Multi, no actual smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-05-08
Packaged: 2018-03-29 15:36:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3901621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callasyndra/pseuds/callasyndra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria Ross tells Roy Mustang a story about her childhood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Please look at the tags for this fic, and if it isn't your jam, don't read it. First of all the rating for this is for the subject matter - there's no sex of any kind here. As I was finishing up Another Time, Another Place it occurred to me that DAMN this is a lot of crap for Roy to have to deal with on his own. And wouldn't it be nice for him to have someone who wasn't interested in anything more than friendship (cuz he's got enough going on there, too) to talk to about everything? And for some reason, Maria seemed like a GREAT person for him to talk to. Only, Roy isn't going to talk to anyone about the incest because he's terrified the boys will get taken away from him. So....this came together.

**November 3, 1919**

          Maria Ross glanced at the scene in the hospital room.  Alphonse had woken up the night before and had been surrounded by doctors or nurses ever since.  Edward snarled every time a doctor approached him, but Roy was there to handle most of the paperwork so Ed tolerated the rest.  Considering the Elrics had just accomplished the impossible again, Maria thought General Mustang was handling it all very well.

          Of course she had inside information from Riza so she knew that Roy had known all along the brothers were working on a way back.  With a small smile she watched Ed get up and threaten to throttle a doctor who would “not give him enough space to breathe” according to the elder Elric.  It was no surprise that Ed tolerated all the fuss about Al as long as Al seemed okay with it.  The brothers had always been close with Edward always protecting Alphonse.

          After some time had passed Maria made her way over to Roy.  Edward had moved to sit beside Alphonse’s bed and the two were talking quietly.  Roy was leaning against a wall watching the two of them as if he still couldn’t believe they were back. 

          “General Mustang why don’t we let Ed and Al have a few moments alone?” Maria suggested with a smile.  “We can go get some sandwiches for them since we all know how wonderful hospital food is.”

          Roy looked to Ed who nodded enthusiastically at both the idea of sandwiches and spending some time with Al.  Alphonse sent Maria a grateful look.  “Thank you.  The food here is….well it’s bad.  What’s your rank now?”

          Maria grinned at him.  “Hawkeye and I are both Majors now.  But I’d really like you both to call me Maria, okay?”  Two very similar heads nodded at her. 

          Maria grabbed Roy’s arm before he could protest and waved back at the Elrics.  “We’ll be back before you know it!”

          Roy grumbled a bit at being handled out of the room, but Maria shushed him.  “You need some coffee and those boys need food that will help them, not keep them in the hospital longer.”  Grudgingly Roy followed her to a café a few blocks down from the hospital.

          Once food had been ordered and coffee had been procured Maria nudged Roy toward a small table.  “Come on,” she said to him.  “I’ve got a story to tell you that I think you’ll find very interesting.”

          Roy raised an eyebrow, but sat down amiably at the table Maria had indicated. 

          “Okay,” she began as she sat down and arranged the bag of food so it wouldn’t be in the way.  “First off when it’s just the two of us please call me Maria and not Major Ross.  I’m not in your chain of command, so military protocol doesn’t matter as much.  Second – I can’t tell you how happy Riza and I are for you to have Edward back.  We both know how much you’ve missed both the Elrics and I’m just so grateful they were both able to get back in one piece.”

          Roy smiled one of the rare genuine smiles that only people who’d earned his trust received.  “Thank you.  I take it no one is surprised anymore that I’m trying to go to a quieter assignment now?”

          “No one who knows the person and not the General,” she answered with her own smile. 

          Roy took a sip of his coffee and closed his eye in pleasure.  “This coffee is magnificent.  I’ll have to remember this café so I can bring Edward and Alphonse back sometime.”

          Maria nodded.  “The coffee and food are both fantastic.  And while we’re sitting here enjoying it I wanted to talk to you about my best friends growing up.”

          Roy’s expression turned puzzled.  “Did something happen to them recently?”

          “No, thank goodness.  They’re both happy and safe.  Their names are Liz and Alex, also known as Elizabeth and Alexandra.  They’re twin sisters and the closest two siblings I’ve ever met besides Ed and Al.”  Roy stiffened slightly, but Maria laid a comforting hand against the one he had on the table.  “They helped me to understand why I was different growing up.  And they love each other unconditionally.  Which is why I know about Ed and Al.  And I promise you I will never tell anyone, not even Riza.”

          Roy swallowed painfully.  “Is it that obvious?”

          “It wouldn’t be to anyone else.  The only reason I could tell something was different between Ed and Al is because I grew up with Liz and Alex.  It’s something about the way they looked at each other.  I think Ed and Al might actually have it a bit easier since you’re going to be watching out for them.  But Liz and Alex were always on their guard if they weren’t safe at home.  The only thing they **could** do was look at each other a certain way, and well, Ed and Al are doing the same thing.” 

          Maria waited to see if Roy would say anything else.  When he just looked confused she decided to talk some more about her childhood. 

          “I grew up in the country, too.  There were really rich families that owned these huge farms where we lived.  My dad and their dad both worked for them and there were times we never even saw them.  Then when Liz and Alex were nine their mom died.  She had a heart attack and it took her dad a really long time to get over it.  Liz and Alex stayed with my family while their dad was drinking himself silly, but he finally remembered he had two kids and came and got them.  After that I spent a lot of time over at their place when their dad was gone.” 

          Maria took a sip of her own coffee and glanced over at Roy to see how he was taking all this.  He seemed to be doing fairly well overall, so she continued.

          “When we were all about twelve we started going through puberty.  And because we were alone so much and were far more curious than we should have been, we became far from platonic.  I finally started to figure out why boys weren’t making my heart pound and Liz and Alex just loved each other so much.  I think it really was just a natural progression for them.  And we never knew it was anything wrong until I saw this thing in the newspaper a couple of years later.  It was talking about incest and how the “perpetrators” were hung after they were caught in the act.  It still galls me that the author of that article called them perpetrators.”  Maria took another calming sip of her coffee before plunging on.

          “I asked my mother to take me to the library the next time I was in town so I could look up incest and find out what it was.  I found out that afternoon that if Liz and Alex were ever caught (even though we were only fourteen at the time) they’d be jailed at best, or hung like those other people had been.  It was terrifying.  They were my best friends and they were only living the best way they could with a father who barely remembered them at times.  So the next time I saw them I told them both what I’d learned.  It was the scariest night we spent together.  After that we just made sure that we were more careful.  Liz and Alex shared a bedroom so they always made sure to lock their bedroom door just in case their dad came home unexpectedly.  And things went on like that until the year we all turned sixteen.”

          Roy had been listening attentively while Maria relayed part of her life she’d never shared with anyone else.  The next time she paused he said quietly “You did say they were both happy and safe now, yes?”  At her nod Roy seemed to relax a bit. 

          Maria smiled slightly.  “I think we’ve all had enough stories that ended badly.  The reason I’m telling you is so you’ll know you’re not alone in all this.  I can remember how stressful it was trying to make sure nobody ever figured out just how close Liz and Alex actually were.  What I came to realize was most people never even thought anything of it, just like they won’t with Ed and Al.  Because in general we don’t expect intimacy of that sort between siblings most of us would never look for it.  That will protect them, believe it or not.”

          Roy thought about that.  “I suppose you’re right.  We will still have to be extremely careful, but generally people will overlook anything as long as it’s not overt.  I’d like to hear the rest if you don’t mind sharing it with me.”

          Maria looked a bit surprised, but smiled after taking another sip of coffee.  “This is a prime story, you know.  You’re the only one I’ve ever told it to.”

          Roy thought about that.  “It’s not exactly something you could tell just anyone.  Has it been hard not telling anyone else?”

          Maria shrugged.  “Not really because I can always call up Liz if I need to talk about it.  Anyway, I was going to tell you about the year everything changed.  When we turned sixteen Alex and I entered the military academy and Liz started looking into teaching qualifications.  There were two years of classes Liz had to take so she started on those while Alex and I were at basic training.  She and I had the best time with all the physical challenges, but Alex got bored with the educational part.  She barely passed that part of training, but aced the physical bit.  We never messed around at basic because it wasn’t worth getting caught.  But we did meet a very nice guy who we brought home with us for the holidays.  His name was Adam and he fell hard for Liz.”

          Maria sat back in her seat and took in a breath.  It was obvious this next bit wasn’t the most pleasant, but she didn’t back off.  “It was difficult at first.  Liz liked him, but didn’t want to start anything because she loved Alex.  Alex told her she was being stupid and should just get with the guy because he was the only one good enough to be with her.  Liz finally agreed to go out with him and after some time he asked her to marry him.  Alex had been spending more time with me while all this was going on, but I knew that she’d never care for me the same way she loved Liz.  We all sat up talking one night and Liz told us Adam had asked her to marry him.  Alex immediately said that she should, but Liz said she couldn’t until he knew everything.”  Maria looked off into the distance for a few moments.  “I’ve never seen Alex so angry.  She kept saying ‘you can’t tell him – you know what can happen’ and Liz kept arguing back.  Finally Liz said she loved Adam, but she didn’t want to lose Alex and she was afraid if she married him she would.  They spent that night alone in their bedroom and I slept on the couch just in case anyone else came into the house.  By morning they’d decided that Liz would accept, but only if Adam could deal with everything.”

          Roy shook his head with a wry smile.  “Did you know Edward and Alphonse almost didn’t come back because Ed said the same thing?  He said if I couldn’t accept everything then they’d just stay on that side of the Gate.  And he would have, too.  Alphonse couldn’t figure out how to get the portal open on their end without Edward’s help.”

          Maria smiled softly.  “They’re so loyal.  It’s one of the things I admire the most about them.  Reminds me so much of Liz and Alex.  Anyhow, it all worked out and Adam married Liz.  I never asked, but I think Alex would sometimes share a bed with them.  It seemed like Adam just accepted he wasn’t just getting Liz, he was getting Liz and Alex.  And they were happy, I think.  For about five years everything was great.  Then it all went to shit.  Adam was injured while out on patrol.  He and Alex were in the same unit and he begged her as he was dying to give up her commission.  Alex told me later Adam was terrified Liz might do the same thing their father had done and he couldn’t bear that.”

          Roy closed his eyes briefly.  So many good men and women were killed in the service.  They’d all lost loved ones, but it never got any easier.  “I take it Alex went home to her sister?”

          Maria nodded.  “She was able to get out of her commission and the two of them moved to a small town where Liz could teach.  They found out Liz was pregnant as they were in the middle of the move.  They stayed at their new home and raised the baby, and they’re both so happy.  I wish Adam could have seen his son, but that’s the only regret I have now.  Alex was able to find work training young men who are interested in joining the military and Liz still teaches.  They’re still very much in love, but now with the baby they don’t get much time to do anything but raise him.”

          Roy looked thoughtfully at Maria.  “I’m not sure what my relationship with Alphonse is going to entail, but I hope we can find happiness.  Please send my regards to your friends if you feel you can.  And thank you for sharing this with me.  There are times when I have felt at a loss on how to handle everything.”

          Maria smiled confidently.  “If anyone can handle it the three of you can.  And please let the boys know they can talk to me if they ever need to.  It can get awfully lonely dealing with something like this on your own.”

          Roy finished off the last of his coffee and stood.  “Would you like to accompany me back to the hospital Maria?”

          “Definitely.  I haven’t gotten my hugs from those boys yet,” Maria replied with a devilish grin.  They walked companionably back to the hospital and Roy felt as if some of the weight had lifted from his shoulders.  It was comforting to know there was someone he could turn to when the inevitable curve balls came at him.  And knowing Maria would also be watching over Edward and Alphonse helped him to feel this wasn’t going to be as hopeless as he’d originally feared.

         

**Author's Note:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed it! Slowly, but surely, I'll probably be adding more to this *cough* series that I never expected in the first place.


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